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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508403">Star Trek AU Ep. 2: Sidelined</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainJZH/pseuds/CaptainJZH'>CaptainJZH</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Star Trek AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Steven Universe (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, Flashforward - Freeform, Gen, Outer Space, Post-Movie: Star Trek Nemesis (2002), Starfleet, Starship - Freeform, Timeskip</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:53:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,818</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508403</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainJZH/pseuds/CaptainJZH</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Pearl, now captain of the USS Rosebud, is returning to Deep Space Nine for refueling, when they receive an important message from one legendary captain. But unfortunately Starfleet might still hold a grudge against her and Garnet for their past, and that's something they have to cope with.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Connie Maheswaran &amp; Steven Universe, Garnet &amp; Pearl (Steven Universe)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Star Trek AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063880</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>109 Years Later...</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Captain’s Log: Stardate 56845.5,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Captain Pearl said, speaking into the PADD. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“The USS Rosebud is returning for repairs at Deep Space Nine after a </span>
  </em>
  <span>nasty</span>
  <em>
    <span> experience in the Badlands while rescuing a derelict freighter. Luckily, we were successful and only suffered minor casualties.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl sat in her Ready Room, finishing up on her reports. An electronic whistle hummed through the air, the console in front of her blinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Captain, Colonel Kira is requesting to speak with you,” Lieutenant Sour Cream, her Communications Officer, said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, her?” Pearl chuckled. “Should have expected that. Put her through in here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl turned as the red-haired Bajoran woman appeared on her screen. “Captain Pearl, it’s good to see you again,” Kira nodded. “I understand you need repairs?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes, nothing too serious, though. Just had an encounter in the Badlands. We were saving an acquaintance of yours, actually.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Let me guess. The Grand Nagus’ personal ship veered off course while Rom was getting Oo-Mox.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl chuckled. “Oh no, it was Kasidy Yates. The freighter captain? Lost the ship, but we got the crew off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kasidy Yates was the wife of Captain Benjamin Sisko, Kira’s former superior. It was only a few years ago that he gave up his life with corporeal beings to be with the Prophets, a race of godlike reality-warping aliens living in the nearby Bajoran Wormhole. They were also the deities worshipped by the Bajoran religion, which made things awkward to say the least.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kasidy?” Kira said, surprised. “It’ll be good to see her. And I look forward to seeing you when you dock, Captain. Kira out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl smiled as the call ended. She always enjoyed the odd visit to DS9, partly to see Kira. She could relate to Kira, owing to their similar backgrounds in resistance fighting. Though she was admittedly jealous that Kira’s resistance got the “good” ending that hers didn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shaking those unpleasant memories away, Pearl stood up and went to the bridge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The USS Rosebud was a Miranda-class ship, one of the longest-serving ship classes in Starfleet, characterized by the warp nacelles being underneath the main saucer section. The Rosebud itself was also one of the longest-serving ships, having been in service since 2315, nearly 65 years ago. That was also how long Pearl held the rank of Captain, the Rosebud being her first and only command.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl had entered Starfleet Academy almost 100 years ago, in 2284, at the recommendation of then-Admiral James T. Kirk. She worked hard, quickly becoming one of their top students and graduating in 2288 with the rank of Ensign. From there, she rose up in the ranks and, upon reaching Captain, was offered command of the USS Rosebud, registry number NCC-2525. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Rosebud was a good ship, it turned out, and Pearl turned down any attempts to transfer or promote her. This was where she wanted to be, in command of a starship.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Captain,” Commander Garnet, her XO and tactical officer, said with a nod as Pearl walked onto the bridge, “there’s a fleet-wide alert coming in from the Enterprise-E.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“On screen,” Pearl said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“This is Captain Picard of the USS Enterprise,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jean-Luc Picard, on the bridge of the Enterprise-E, said on screen. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“At this moment, we believe Praetor Shinzon of the Romulan Star Empire is approaching the planet Earth, with the intent of destroying it with his ship, the Scimitar. Starfleet Command has hereby ordered that all available ships rendezvous at the following coordinates, hopefully intercepting him. Picard out.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl turned to Garnet. “Garnet, cancel all shore leave while we’re docked at DS9. Tell Lars to double his crew’s efforts and coordinate with DS9’s engineering team. I want those repairs completed as soon as possible so we can join the fleet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Consider it done,” Garnet nodded, tapping away on her console.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Rosebud’s bridge layout was similar to that of the original Enterprise, oddly enough. It featured a Captain’s Chair in the center, two stations immediately forward for helm and navigation, and multiple other stations surrounding her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beginning dockin’ maneuvers,” Lieutenant Commander Jenny Pizza, the ship’s Helmsman, said as they approached DS9’s large docking ring, marked by the tall pylons arching over the space station. Said pylons were hell for helmsmen to make sense of, but luckily Jenny had her sister, Lieutenant Kiki Pizza, as Navigator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the ship docked, Junior Lieutenant Connie Maheswaran exited the turbolift and walked onto the bridge. She carried a PADD, an electronic tablet with documents loaded in it, for her Captain to sign. She wore a red uniform, being in the command training program. Still a junior officer, she filled several different roles aboard the ship. Sometimes she’d get sent on away missions, sometimes she’d man the helm when Lt. Cmdr. Pizza was off-duty, and sometimes she just assisted Captain Pearl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ma’am, here’s the duty roster for next week,” Connie nodded, handing her the PADD. Pearl looked it over, signed it and handed it back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Pearl said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Connie walked away, she squeed internally at the idea that Captain Pearl had just said “Thank you” to her. Thank you! To her! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was enough to make her day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Chief Engineer’s Log: Stardate 56845.6,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Commander Lars Barriga entered into his log.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “We’re trying to repair the fried systems that got hit in the Badlands, but Deep Space Nine’s Chief Engineer seems to disagree with my input.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look, all I’m saying is, you shouldn’t go messing with your EPS conduits like that,” Lieutenant Commander Nog, a Ferengi, argued. “If you dump too much power into them, you’ll get console overloads across the board!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lars held his forehead in frustration. “We’re supposed to have a day’s worth of repairs done within an hour. These conduits can handle more than you think. Now, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please, </span>
  </em>
  <span>get out of my engineering bay before I yank those big ears off of ya!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who’re you calling ‘big ears,’ Big Ears?” the short Ferengi argued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Rosebud’s Engineering section was very similar to most Starfleet ships. A long, glowing warp core ran down the center and through the floor, with there being multiple levels for upper access. To the sides were a series of computer consoles, where various intricate systems were monitored.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At one of these stations was Ensign Steven Universe. Both he and Lars wore yellow uniforms indicating their role in Operations. Steven loved learning how starships worked from a young age, and it quickly turned into a career opportunity. He was only a few months out of the Academy, and he knew the workings of a warp engine like the back of his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Junior Lieutenant Maheswaran then entered the room, making him forget what the back of his hand even looked like. His face blushed a deep red from her very presence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was told you need assistance?” Connie asked Lars as Lt. Cmdr. Nog stormed out in a huff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“More than ever,” Lars chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually I need help!” Steven suddenly volunteered. “With, uh, repairs.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Sure you do, Steven,” Lars chuckled, rolling his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Connie walked over and greeted him. “What do you need?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, uh…” Steven stammered. He should know this! What was he just working on? Hell, what station was he at? He glanced up at the name on the computer screen, labeled </span>
  <em>
    <span>Environmental Controls. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“We gotta check the Environmental Controls! After all, we can’t have this place turning into a sauna, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Connie said with a chuckle. She knelt down to the side of the console and pried open the panel. Crawling through the narrow Jefferies Tube, Connie called out, “That should be wiring duct C, correct?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven desperately searched his mind for the answer to that question. He wasn’t going to embarrass himself by not knowing something that basic. He leaned towards the computer console and whispered: “Computer… Where is the wiring for Environmental Controls located?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At a much louder volume than he expected, the computer blared out, “Wiring for Environmental Controls can be accessed in wiring duct C.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks!” Connie called out in return.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over at the main engineering station, Lars shook his head. “Crazy kids,” he mused.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Rosebud is ready for battle, but Starfleet isn't so eager to let them join in.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>
    <em>"</em>
    <em>Captain’s Log: Stardate 56845.8. We have completed our repairs way ahead of schedule, and are making final preparations to depart and rendezvous with the main fleet outside the Bassen Rift.”</em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Captain,” Sour Cream said from the communications station, “priority one call from Admiral Nechayev.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll take it in my Ready Room,” Pearl nodded, getting up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the tactical station behind her, Garnet shook her head. “You’re not going to like what she says.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you know?” Lieutenant Commander Buck Dewey, their science officer, asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just do,” Garnet said, adjusting her visor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“The Cardassian Border?!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Pearl asked at a loud volume. “We’re capable of assisting the Enterprise just like every other ship in the fleet. Sidelining us to the Cardassian Border…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, now, Pearl,” Admiral Nechayev said with her trademark punchable face, “The Cardassians are still recovering from the Dominion occupation. It doesn’t look good to them that we’re sending most of the fleet away, leaving them vulnerable, so…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Vulnerable to whom?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have to be prepared for </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>possibilities, Captain. Having the bulk of the fleet in one place is hardly the best defensive strategy, and the Federation can’t simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>protect its largest protectorate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl sighed. She had a point. Pearl didn’t like it, but she had a point. And yet, she suspected their mission was chosen for less noble reasons than pure strategy. Once the call was over, she signaled to Garnet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell the crew that shore leave is uncancelled,” Pearl said. As far as Nechayev knew, they were still on their original repair schedule. The crew could afford some rest &amp; relaxation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And how’d you hurt it this time?” Dr. Maheswaran, the ship’s doctor, asked Ensign Jeff Brooks as he took a seat on the biobed. He was clutching his arm in pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, there was that fungus we picked up in the Mutaras Cluster? And I was analyzing it, y’know, ‘cause otherwise Buck gets upset with me, and then it just came to life and punched me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did it ask you to feed it human blood and force you to kill to protect your secret?” Ensign Peedee Fryman, a security officer, asked. He’d come in for his routine inoculations when Jeff entered with his bruised arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“20th Century movie reference,” Ensign Daniel Abrams said, rolling his eyes. He was Dr. Maheswaran’s nurse, restocking the supplies in the corner. “Ensign Fryman makes them aaaaaall the time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Little Shop </span>
  </em>
  <span>is a classic!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Call me when there’s a hologram recreation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeff blushed slightly as he got a better look at Peedee. He was cute. Pretty cute. Dr. Maheswaran then interrupted his gaze by rolling up Jeff’s sleeve and running his bruises under a dermal regenerator. The pain quickly went away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Jeff nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, and say hello to your mother for me. I’m going to have to cancel that lunch appointment we had. Paperwork and all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeff’s mother, Dr. Brooks, was the ship’s counselor, which he didn’t know if he should be embarrassed by or not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so,” Lieutenant Commander Sadie Miller, Security Chief of the Rosebud, said as she and Transporter Chief Ronaldo Fryman walked onto Deep Space Nine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How?” Ronaldo asked. “Of Felix’s horror holo-programs, Killer At Sleepaway Camp 4 is the best! The best story, the best character interactions…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but I just don’t think he’s good at programming horror! You’ve done the secret agent one, right? Felix is best when he’s doing twists on 20th century film genres.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that’s what he’s been doing with the Killer At Sleepaway Camp series! You play as a camp counselor, there’s a killer on the loose—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sadie rolled her eyes. “Yes, but there’s no twist to it. Have you even seen a Friday the 13th movie?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One of those 20th century picture things? Nah, I prefer a more…” Ronaldo flexed his non-existent muscles, “...invigorating experience.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing, Ronaldo,” Sadie said with a sarcastic snort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Garnet’s entry into Starfleet was an odd one. She graduated the Academy in 2327, but officials were still unsure how to handle a fusion in Starfleet. What would happen if she unfused? Would Ruby and Sapphire retain her rank? Would the rank be “split” somehow?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was for this reason that Garnet’s promotions took so long to go through. Every time she applied for one, it had to be put through a special committee and approved by any number of officials whose positions Garnet didn’t completely believe were real. However, her decades of service paid off, and it was only a year ago that she made Commander. She was one step away from the ability to captain her own starship.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Did she want a promotion after this, though? She had joined Pearl’s crew in 2351, and had been enjoying her duties as First Officer. The First Officer essentially acted as a liaison between the Captain and the crew, ensuring that the Captain’s orders were followed. Having always been the people person between her and Pearl, Garnet succeeded at this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not to mention, her secondary job as tactical officer was practically made for her, owing to her Future Vision. They hadn’t been in many battles for it to come in handy, but she knew which nebulas to avoid and which rescue missions were worth risking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come in,” Pearl said after her Ready Room door chimed. Garnet walked through as the doors </span>
  <em>
    <span>swished </span>
  </em>
  <span>open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Monitoring the Cardassian Border,” Garnet said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your guess is as good as mine,” Pearl sighed, gesturing to the chair across from her. Garnet sat down. “Apparently Nechayev thinks that we’re better off there than with the fleet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Starfleet never stopped having it out for us,” Garnet mused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not our fault the Sun Incinerator was lost!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There are still some Admirals that were around in Kirk’s time. Every time there’s a Wolf 359, or a Dominion War, or a stranded USS Voyager…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Someone says ‘why if only those gosh-darned Crystal Gems didn’t muck up their space doohickey so bad!’”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Garnet laughed at what she assumed was supposed to be a southern United States accent. “I don’t think they sound like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I try to avoid the Admiralty whenever I can, so for all I know, that </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>how they sound.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two friends sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying each other’s company. Finally, Garnet spoke. “I haven’t heard from Amethyst in a while.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You kept in contact?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After you left for Starfleet, I stayed with Amethyst in Beach City,” Garnet explained. Pearl remembered now. “Then I decided to enter Starfleet myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And she didn’t take it very well,” Pearl nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Once she realized I wasn’t coming back, she went off into the privateering business.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Privateering?” Pearl asked, surprised. “Good for her. But why are you telling me this now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She asked me not to tell you, and until now I respected those wishes, but my last contact with her was several months ago and…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re worried,” Pearl said, feeling that same worry herself if she was being honest. She and Amethyst had not parted on the best of terms, but she still cared. “Do you know where she was?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She was on a reconnaissance mission for the Tholians, that’s all she told me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Tholians? Good, they’re hostile to practically every race in the quadrant, that narrows it down,” Pearl sighed. “Thanks for telling me. Amethyst...is stronger than I think either of us gave her credit for. Wherever she is, I think she can take care of herself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope so. My Future Vision gets fuzzy whenever I look for her,” Garnet said, standing back up. “Thank you, Pearl.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re always welcome,” Pearl nodded, returning to her reports.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Communications to Captain,” Sour Cream said through her combadge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go ahead,” Pearl affirmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re receiving an all-clear message from the Enterprise,” Sour Cream told her. “The Scimitar was destroyed and the fleet has been returned to normal duties. Including us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good, Lieutenant. Send a—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold on, Captain. Another message, this one from Admiral Nechayev.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl groaned internally, but maintained her composure. “What does it say, Lieutenant?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re supposed to continue our orders as detailed, and proceed to the Cardassian Border at once.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl wanted to hit her forehead against the desk, but knew that would damage her Gem. “Understood,” she said, gritting her teeth. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the bridge, after all crew had returned to the ship and they’d successfully undocked, the Rosebud turned in the direction of Cardassia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Course laid in for the Cardassian Border?” Pearl asked as she sat down in her chair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Course laid in,” Kiki said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Warp four, engage,” Pearl nodded as Jenny pushed some buttons on her console.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ship’s warp nacelles activated, shooting off at warp speed. Even if her missions amounted to pointless busywork, Pearl never got tired of it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Tune in next week for episode 3, "The Signal"</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As before, special thanks to Goodyfresh and E350tb for being my beta-readers!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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